Apparatus for blowing glass



2 Sheets-Sheet 1.

(No Model.)

D. O. RIPLEY. APPARATUS FOR BLOWING GLASS.

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(No Model.)

2 Sheets-Sheet 2. D. G. RIPLBY. APPARATUS FOR BLOWING GLASS.

No. 580,349. PatentedApr. 6,1897" Fll3.4.

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Ni'rE APPARATUS FOR BLOWING GLASS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 580,349, dated April 6,1897.

Application filed August 7, 1896- Serial No. 601,956. (No model.) i

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, DANIEL C. RIPLEY, a citizen of the United States,residing at Pittsburg, in the county of Allegheny and State ofPennsylvania, have invented or discovered a certain new and. usefulImprovement in Apparatus for Blowing Glass, of which improvement thefollowing is a specification.

The object of my invention is to expedite and facilitate the manufactureof hollow articles of glassware in paste-molds and to dispense with thetwo-part molds heretofore employed in such manufacture.

The improvement claimed is hereinafter fully set forth.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is ,a side View, partly insection, of a glass-blowing apparatus, illustrating an application of myinvention; Fig. 2, a front view, in elevation and on an enlarged scale,of a portion of the same; Fig. 3, a vertical central section throughsaid portion; Figs. 4c and 5, horizontal sections at the lines 00' w andy y, respectively, of Fig. 3; Fig. 6, a similar section at the line a zof Fig. 1, and Fig. 7 a vertical section at the line w w of Fig. 6.

In the practice of my invention I provide a bed-plate or stand 1, uponwhich a vertical tubular support 2 is mounted centrally, with thecapacity of movement about its axial line. The support 2 rests upon thebed-plate through a circular bearing-plate 3, secured upon the lower endof the support and having an annular V-shaped projection 4-. on itslower side fitting a corresponding groove in the bed-plate. One or moreguide-blocks 5, having projecting flanges fitting over the upper surfaceof the bearing-plate, may also be secured to the bed-plate. A hand-wheel6, by which the tubular support may be moved in either direction aboutits axial line, is secured upon it near its upper end, and it is lockedin and released from position for the detachment of the blown glass fromthe molds by a treadle 7', carrying a stop 8, which may be brought intoengagement with and released from a circumferential recess in thebearing-plate, as from to time required.

A table 7, fixed upon the bed-plate 1, supports a water-tank 8 formoistening and cooling the molds, said tank being raised and lowered toinclose and to be withdrawn from the molds, respectively, by a handle 9and being counterbalanced by a weight 10, which is connected to avertical guide-stem 11, secured to the bottom of the tank by a cord 12,passing around sheaves 13, j ournaled in bearings fixed to the table.

Two molds 14. 14, each of whichis integral or made in one piece and hasits top entirely open, are secured upon the ends of arms 15 15, each ofwhich is secured centrally to the tubular support 2. The molds 14: areset at equal distances from the axial line of the support and on thesame horizontal level, their bottoms being slightly above the top of thewater-tank 8. Each of the molds is provided with a dome shaped oroutwardly-curved cover 16, which is segmentally recessed or cut away onthe side of its center farthest from the tubular support, so as to coveronly, say, about one-half of the opening at the top of the mold andadmit of the insertion and removal laterally of a blow pipe whileremoved from the mold, as clearly shown in Figs. 2, 3, and 5.

Each'of the mold-covers 16 is secured to the lower end of one of a pairof bars 17, fitted to slide vertically in guides 18, fixed to theperiphery of the tubular support 2, the weight of each bar 17 and theconnected mold-cover being counterbalanced by a weight 19, the weights19 traversing in the inside of the tubular support 2 and being connectedto the mold-covers by cords 20, passing around sheaves 21, j ournaled inopenings 011 opposite sides of the tubular support.

A shaft or spindle 22 passes centrally through the tubular support 2 andis journaled at its upper endin a cap-plate 23, fixed thereon, and atits lower end in the bed-plate l. A coupling-section 24, secured uponthe lower end of the spindle 22, is engaged by a driving-shaft 25,through which rotation is imparted to the spindle in order to rotate ablowpipe therefrom during the movement of the latter, while journaled onthe tubular support, through a semicircle about the common axial line ofthe spindle and the support. To this end a driving-wheel 26, having anelastic tire or rim 27, is secured upon the upper end of the spindle,and two pairs of springs 29, upon each member of which is journa'led aguide-roller 30, are secured to the tubular support 2 on diametricallyopposite sides of its axial line and adjacent to the drivin g-wh eel 26.While one or the other of the mold-covers 16 is raised off the top ofits mold, as shown on the right side of Fig. 3, the blowpipe 28 isinserted between the guide-rollers 30, which stand above said mold onthe same side of the tubular support, and is held in rotative contactwith the rim 27 of the driving-Wheel 26 by said rollers and theirsupporting-sprin gs. The mold-cover and blowpipe are then lowered untilthe cover rests on the mold, as shown at the left of Fig. 3, and thelower end of the blowpipe is centered with the mold by a double-armedlever 31, which is pivoted to the mold-cover and has one of its ends,which is adapted to bear on the glass adhering to the blowpipe, recessedto the curvature of the central recess in the mold-cover. The oppositearm of the lever 31 bears against an inclined guide-piece 32,two ofwhich are secured on opposite sides to the support 2 adjacent to thelevel of the mold. The blowpipe is guided intermediately between itsends by a recess in the outer end of a guide-arm 33, one of which isfixed to the upper end of each of the bars 17 to which the mold-coversare attached.

A standard 34, which may be either solid or tubular, as preferred, issecured by bars 35 (which are outwardly curved to clear thedriving-wheel 26) to the upper end of the tubular support 2,concentrically therewith and with the spindle 22, the upper end of whichmay be conically formed and fitted in a recess in the lower end of thestandard 34 to maintain true axial alinement of the latter, as shown inFig. Acylindrical block 36 is secured to the upper end of the standard34, and a cap 37 is fitted, with the capacity of free rotation, on theblock 36. A short section of pipe 38 is secured centrallyin the cap 37,the outer end of said section fitting, so as to be rotatable freely, inthe end of a pipe 39, through which air under pressure is led from asuitable source of supply.

The pipe 33 communicates with a transverse passage 40 in the block 36,and two pipes 41 41 are secured to and project in opposite directionsfrom the cap 37. In one position of the tubular support 2, to wit, thatin which the mold-covers 16 stand in line axially with the molds, thepipes 41 communicate freely with the central passage 40 of the block 36,and said pipes are turned downwardly at their outer ends, the axes ofwhich are at the same distance from the axial line of the tubularsupport and spindle as the axes of the molds 14. Plate-springs 42 42 aresecured to and project in opposite directions from the cap 37, each ofsaid springs bearing against one of the pipes 41 near its outer end, andsprings 43 43 are secured to the standard 34, each bearin g against oneof the springs 42.

In the operation of the apparatus, compressed air being supplied to thepipes 41 through the pipes 39 38, the operator places the gathering ofglass upon the lower end of the blowpipe 28 and enters the blowpipe,which is inclined outwardly and upwardly, into the recess of theguide-arm 33 on the side of the machine farthest from the water-tank,the bar 17, carrying said arm, and a moldcover having been previouslyraised to its highest point. The blowpipe then presses against thespring 42 on that side of the machine and through said spring swings thecap 37 on the block 36, so as. to move the adjacent pipe 41 away fromthe blowpipe until the latter has been entered between the guiderollers30 and brought below the level of the outer end of the pipe 41. Thesprings 43 then return the cap 37 to the position shown in the drawings,in which the outer discharge end of the pipe 41 will be in line axiallywith the blowpipe. of the blowpipe, which is made coincidently with thatof the adjacent bar 17 and moldcover 16, the mold-cover is brought intocontact with its mold, and the double-armed lever 31 bears against theadjacent inclined guide 32 and is thereby brought into the positionshown in Figs. 2, 3, and 5, in which it bears on the glass on the lowerend of the blowpipe and properly centers it at its lower end. Thetubular support 2 is then swung around through a semicircle by thehandwheel 6, and during its traverse the article is blown by thecompressed air supplied to the blowpipe, which is meanwhile rotated byfrictional contact with the elastic rim of the drivin g-wheel 26.The'blowpipe is not connected with the pipe 41, from which it receivesits supply, but is separated therefrom by a free space, the operationbeing in this particular similar to that described in Letters Patent No.557,298, granted to the United States Glass Company, as assignee of F.Altenbaugh, under date of March 31, 1396.

When the blowpipe and mold have been brought into position above thewater-tank, the bar 17 and mold-cover 16 are raised, the blowpipe andthe attached blown article are removed, and the mold may be cooled andmoistened in. the tank, as required. The operation is repeated, usingthe mold on the opposite side of the tubular support, and so 011 inregular course.

In the manufacture of articles of the class of those for the formationof which my improvement is more particularly designed it is necessary,as is well known to those skilled in the art, that there shall berelative movement about an axis between the blowpipe and the mold, andin the instance exemplified such movement is imparted to the blowpipeWhile the mold is held stationary. It will, however, be apparent thatthe feature above specified may be embodied without variation ofoperatix e principle if movement about its In the downward movement axisbe imparted to the mold instead of to the blowpipe and I thereforeinclude as the mechanical equivalent of the construction hereindescribed and shown an apparatus in which while preserving the samerelation of the blowpipe and air-supply pipe the conditions of rest andmovement of the blowpipe and mold are reversed in the blowing operation,that is to say, in which the blowipe is held stationary and movementabout its axis is imparted to the mold.

My invention attains the advantages of economizing time and labor inblowing hollow articles, as the insertion of one blowpipe and theremoval of another on the opposite side may be effected simultaneously.The capability of employing an integral mold in lieu of the two-partmolds heretofore used is also of material advantage in reducing cost ofconstruction and maintenance and allowing the interior of the mold to bevisible during the operation of blowing.

I claim as myinvention and desire to secure by Letters Patent 1. In anapparatus for blowing glass, the combination, substantially as setforth, of an integral, open-topped mold, a disconnected mold-cover,whichis movable toward and from the mold, and is segmentally recessed or cutaway on one side to admit of the lateral insertion and removal of ablowpipe when removed from the mold, and a blowpipe adapted to sustainand blow a gathering of glass below the cover when said cover is fittedagainst the top of the mold.

2. In an apparatus for blowing glass, the combination, substantially asset forth, of an integral, open-topped mold, a disconnected mold-cover,which is movable toward and from the mold, and is segmentally recessedor cut away on one side to admit of the lateral insertion and removal ofa blowpipe when removed from the mold, a blowpipe adapted to sustain andblow a gathering of glass below the cover when said cover is fittedagainst the top of the mold, and means for holding the blowpipe in lineaxially with the mold.

3. In an apparatus for blowing glass, the combination, substantially asset forth, of an integral, open-topped mold, a disconnected mold-cover,which is movable toward and from the mold, and is segmentally recessedor cut away on one side to admit of the lateral insertion and removal ofa blowpipe when removed from the mold, a blowpipe adapted to sustain andblow a gathering of glass below the cover when said cover is fittedagainst the top of the mold, and means for effecting relative movementabout an axis between the blowpipe and the mold.

4. In an apparatus for blowing glass, the combination, substantially asset forth, of a support, an integral, open-topped, mold fixed thereto, apartially open mold-cover fitted to traverse on guides on said supporttoward and from the mold, a blowpipe adapted to sustain and blow agathering of glass below the cover when fitted against the mold, aspindle journaled to rotate adjacent to the support, and gearing forimparting rotation to the blowpipe from said spindle.

5. In an apparatus for blowing glass, the combination, substantially asset forth, of a support, an integral, open-topped, mold fixed thereto, apartially open mold-cover fitted to traverse on guides on said supporttoward and from the mold, a blowpipe adapted to sustain and blow agathering of glass below the cover when fitted against the mold, aspindle journaled to rotate adjacent to the mold, gearing for impartingrotation to the blowpipe from said spindle, and a guiding device formaintaining the blowpipe in line axially with the mold.

6. In an apparatus for blowing glass, the combination, substantially asset forth, of a support, an integral, open-topped, mold fixed thereto, apartially open mold-cover fitted to traverse on guides on said supporttoward and from the mold, a blowpipe adapted to sustain and blow agathering of glass below the cover when fitted against the mold, aspindle journaled to rotate adjacent to the mold, gearing for impartingrotation to the mold from said spindle, a lever connected to themold-cover for centering the adjacent end of the blowpipe, and a fixedguide for moving said lever into operative position in and by the trayrse of the mold-cover toward the mold.

7. In an apparatus for blowing glass, the combination, substantially asset forth, of a bed-plate, a tubular support-mounted, with the capacityof movement about its axis thereon, two integral, open-topped, molds,fixed oppositely to said support and projecting at equal distances fromits axial line, two partially open mold-covers, each fitted to traverseon guides on said support toward and from one of said molds, a spindle journaled to rotate in the axial line of said support, a frictionaldriving-gear fixed on said spindle, pairs of friction-rollers connectedto the support adjacent to andon opposite sides of said frictionaldriving-gear, and a blowpipe which is insertible between the rollers ofeither pair, and against the frictional drivinggear, in position tosustain and blow a gathering of glass below the cover of one of themolds when fitted against said mold.

8. In an apparatus for blowing glass, the combination, substantially asset forth, of a support movable about its axial line, two integral,open-topped, molds fixed oppositely thereto, two partially openmold-covers, each fitted to traverse on guides on said support towardand from one of said molds, a central standard connected to and movablewith the snpport,a cap fitting on said support and capable of movementabout the axis thereof, oppositely-projecting pipes connected to saidcap and communicating with a compressed-air- In testimony whereof I havehereunto set supply pipe, and a blowpipe which is adapted my hand. to beplaced in position to receive air from DANIEL O RIPLEY either of saidprojecting pipes and to sustain and blow a gathering of glass below thecover Witnesses:

of one of the molds when fitted against said J. SNOWDEN BELL, mold. F.E. GAITHER.

